Benjamin Stoddert Middle School Principal Kenneth Schroeck was reassigned today to the Charles County Public Schools Office of Supporting Services. Marvin Jones, executive director of schools, will serve as Stoddert’s interim principal effective immediately. Schroeck’s reassignment follows today’s release of additional information learned as part of an investigation of Carlos Bell, a former instructional assistant at Stoddert. Charles County State’s Attorney Tony Covington released a 119-count indictment charging Bell with multiple counts of sexual abuse and other crimes against children. Bell was formerly charged by the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office on July 3 with charges of production of child Read more…

The 2017-18 school year officially begins Tuesday, Sept. 5 for Charles County Public Schools students in grades kindergarten through 12. The school system expects to welcome more than 25,000 students this school year. Students in the three-year-old and prekindergarten programs start school on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Dates for the coming school year are available on the CCPS website in the 2017-18 Parent Handbook/Calendar posted at http://www.ccboe.com/aboutus/calendar/201718CCPSCalendar.pdf. Students and staff receive a copy of the calendar during the first week of school. To ensure all students, parents and staff receive a calendar, community requests will not be honored until after the Read more…

Summer school graduation is different than traditional high school graduations. There are 27 graduates, with 23 walking in the ceremony on July 26 at Westlake High School. The robes are not uniform; they create a rainbow with each senior wearing their school’s colors. There’s St. Charles green, Westlake teal and North Point red; navy for La Plata, purple for Maurice J. McDonough and blue for Thomas Stone and Henry E. Lackey high schools. Teens who didn’t know each other 30 days ago when summer school started June 26, help each other straighten their mortarboards, discuss post-graduate plans and chat like Read more…

Charles County Public Schools is holding a job fair for teachers later this month. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, July 31, teachers can come to St. Charles High School in Waldorf to interview for teaching positions. Job seekers should bring copies of their resume, and certified teachers should bring a copy of their teaching certificate. Candidates should dress to impress, there will be on-site interviews conducted. For a list of job opportunities, visit www.ccboe.com/jobs/currentopenings.php?category=Instructional or call 301-934-7255. St. Charles High School is at 5305 Piney Church Road.    About CCPS Charles County Public Schools provides 26,400 students in grades Read more…

Charles County Public Schools has released its student orientation schedule for the 2017-18 school year. Listed below are orientation dates and times, and other activities for schools. Specific questions can be directed to individual schools. Elementary Schools • C. Paul Barnhart, meet and greet, Aug. 30, 2:30 to 4 p.m.; • Berry, meet and greet, Aug. 30, 2 to 4 p.m.; • Dr. Gustavus Brown, meet and greet, Aug. 30, 2:30 to 4 p.m.; • Dr. James Craik, meet and greet, Aug. 30, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.; • William A. Diggs, meet and greet, Aug. 30, 2 to 4 p.m.; Read more…

Baseball teaches great lessons for life. That’s what Anthony “Coach” Mase believes. Mase, who volunteered at the Badges for Baseball camp earlier this summer, said the game is “the great equalizer.” “You don’t have to be the most talented, it’s not about height,” he said. “As long as you hustle and work, you’re going to do well.” About 70 boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 14 participated in the camp at Laurel Springs Park where they learned baseball basics and fundamentals from players with the College of Southern Maryland CSM Hawks and Charles County Sheriff’s officers. The Read more…

Summer enrichment camps can focus on just about any subject. Cooking, learning the ukulele, creating art projects out of recycled materials and Harry Potter. Open to students in first through eighth grades, the camps run morning and afternoon sessions, Monday through Friday. The weeklong camps started June 19 and will wrap up July 28. And while camp is fun, it is also educational. Quinn Decker, a fifth grader at Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School, signed up for Brain Teasers with a Twist: A STEM Production. The group of third, fourth and fifth graders build bridges, playgrounds, parachutes and towers using Read more…

The Board of Education is holding an executive session at 4 p.m. Thursday, July 6 at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building as permitted by the Maryland Open Meetings Act, Sections 3-305 and 3-103 of the General Provisions Article. The meeting is expected to be closed to the public. About CCPS Charles County Public Schools provides 26,400 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 36 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, Read more…

Benjamin Stoddert Middle School is hosting two information nights for parents as the investigation into a former employee continues. The Charles County Sheriff’s Office on June 30 charged a former Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) employee, Carlos Bell, with several criminal acts involving children. CCPS continues to work with the sheriff’s office and the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office as they conduct their investigation. The school will hold information nights for Stoddert parents at 7 p.m. Friday, July 28 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16 at the school. Parents of Stoddert students who will be in sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade Read more…